Without any help from retirement rumors or OTA absences, the Patriots offensive line produced all the top signs of offseason unrest this spring.

There was the significant free-agent departure: Nate Solder.

A clear concession of positional need by the front office: drafting Isaiah Wynn with the 23rd overall pick.

And on the horizon potential contract trouble: Shaq Mason.

Together, these signs have guided fans toward a state of unease entering next week's training camp. Who will protect Tom Brady in his age-41 season? And where? The key faces up front, like the surrounding uncertainty and anxiety, are fairly new.

However, uncertainty should not be equated with a lack of options or talent. The Patriots are armed with a sufficient supply of both. And in time, the 2018 offensive line shouldgel into a stronger, deeper unit than its predecessor.

Positional determinations aside, let's start with the primary concern: pass protection. Brady was sacked an average of 2.6 times per game over the first half of last season. That figure, while an incomplete representation of pass-blocking performance, does indicate how leaky the line started before slowly solidifying as the weather turned colder.

Still, Solder allowed an troublingly high 51 pressures, per Pro Football Focus. And considering those pressures streamed in from Brady's blind side, the trouble seemingly raises to serious alarm.

Except Solder is gone and left tackle is no longer a premium position in the NFL. Most of the league's elite pass rushers -- including Von Miller, Joey Bosa, J.J. Watt, Khalil Mack and Justin Houston -- align opposite right tackles. Losing a starter of Solder's caliber undoubtedly hurts, but the positional aspect of his exit is overrated.

And regardless of who replaces the well-respected Solder, the player's strengths will lie in pass protection.

At 25, Brown remains moldable, and now he's under the tutelage of perhaps the league's most well-regarded offensive line coach in Dante Scarnecchia. These factors also hold true for Wynn.

Per PFF, the incoming rookie yielded just five pressures in 15 games as a senior at Georgia. He dominated future pros across the line in the SEC. Wynn's long arms mitigate some the legitimate concern over his height, though his potential as a career NFL left tackle has yet to be determined.

If Brown seizes the tackle job or Wynn fails to stay in the race, the former Bulldog will slide over to left guard, where he took most of his snaps in college and more recently during minicamp.

At right guard, Mason continues to build his pass-blocking skill set from the ground up after coming from a triple-option system at Georgia Tech in 2015. Now entering his fourth season, having demonstrated appreciable improvement every year, there stands no reason to expect further growth this fall.

The same goes for third-year center David Andrews, who made a significant leap in 2017 and was arguably the team's most consistent lineman. Flanking Andrews' left should be Joe Thuney, who may lose his starting job to Wynn. Regardless of who claims the first-team spot, the Patriots will carry an above average backup.

Speaking of backups, swing tackle LaAdrian Waddle has proven to be serviceable -- most recently when he replaced injured right tackle Marcus Cannon last season. A year after earning All-Pro honors, Cannon missed every kickoff after Week 8 due to a bad ankle. With Mason, Cannon forms a dominant run-blocking duo on the right side.

Unlike his ability to maul on the edge, Cannon's health moving forward is no certainty (though he has played at least 14 games in four of the last six seasons). And admittedly, a sizable chunk of this entire argument rests on the promise of good health. Then again, so does any form of success in the NFL.

For now, seven linemen skilled in both gap and zone schemes whose collective versatility could almost fill out an entire two-deep is an excellent camp foundation. Ideally, New England would identify an eighth this summer. Perhaps a youngster or cast-off veteran surprise.

A year ago, this group established itself as the NFL's best run-blocking line, per Football Outsiders' adjusted line yards metric. The young core that drove that ranking has returned, and solid veterans still surround them. Beyond an infusion of star power, what more could you ask of any position on any team heading into camp?

In truth, the most significant issue facing the Patriots offensive line will arise next offseason when Brown and Mason are set to hit free agency. Talented, ascending players are difficult to keep.

Of course, that problem is old hat in New England, where the Patriots, regardless of offseason drama real or imagined, simply press on.